April Fools’ Day for your Palate

This April Fools’ Day, fool your senses into healthier alternatives to those late night guilty pleasures! The next time you feel that craving for some deep-fried, high-sugar snack coming on, swap it out for something else just as tasty, and much more filling. With a little extra effort, you can even make your creation look like what you’ve been wanting, and trick your eyes into believing it too.

First up, get your serving of fruit as your fast food fix, with apples as french fries!

APPLE FRIES

Ingredients
3 apples
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable oil

Directions
1. Core and peel the apples.
2. For batter: stir milk, egg, flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt in a bowl until all clumps are broken up.
3. For dusting fries at the end: mix the 1/3 cup sugar with 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in another bowl.
4. Pour about 1″ vegetable oil into a skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Slice apples into pieces about 1/2″ thick.
6. Dip each slice in batter, then lower into skillet. Once the edges of the slices are lightly golden, gently flip and cook the other side for one more minute.
7. Remove apple fries from skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess grease.
Dust both sides with the cinnamon-sugar blend.

(adapted from http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49512/apple-fries-recipe/)

MASHED POTATO SUNDAE

And when you start reaching for that carton of ice cream stashed in your freezer, grab the mashed potatoes for a sundae instead!

Ingredients
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon gravy, warmed
1 tablespoon heavy cream, whipped
1 cherry tomato
small basil leaves
1 tablespoon crumbled bacon

Directions
1. Peel and quarter the baking potatoes
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil.
3. Add potatoes to pot and cook 15 minutes until tender but still firm, then drain.
4. Heat butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat until butter is melted.
5. Blend milk mixture into potatoes until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Scoop 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes into dish and top with the gravy, cream, tomato, basil, and bacon.

(adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24771/basic-mashed-potatoes/
and https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/april-fools-dessert)

MEATLOAF CUPCAKES

Lastly, if it’s a special occasion or you’re feeling ambitious, try your hand at these meatloaf cupcakes!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
2 cups mashed potatoes
bacon bits and green onions

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Sauté onion, carrot, celery, dried oregano, and minced garlic for 2 minutes.
4. Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray, then spoon the meat mixture into them.
6. Top each meatloaf with about 2 teaspoons ketchup.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then let cool.
8. Put the mashed potatoes into a ziploc bag with the corner cut off pipe the mashed potatoes them on top of the meatloaf, then garnish with bacon bits and green onions.

(adapted from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/04/meatloaf-cupcakes.html)

Have fun pranking yourself and friends with these unexpected indulgences, and happy April Fools’!

Signing off,

Sophia Yang